Mai Chau is located west of Hoa Binh province, about 140km from Hanoi. Mai Chau is one of the best places to visit for people lovers natural and explore the culture of ethnic people near Hanoi.
This is a pretty small area, so you can rent a bicycle to walk around the villages explore the daily life of the local tribe, most of the village here offers bicycle rental service.
Coming to Mai Chau, visitors will have a chance to explore the natural beauty and ethnic culture. Before arriving, let Go Viet Trip advises some information you need to know about this place.
From Hanoi to Mai Chau, about 140km, it is taking about 4 hours. You can go by motorbike or bus or book Mai Chau one day tour or Mai Chau tours 2 days, including transportation 2 ways. You don't need to worry about how to go anymore.
By motorbike: You can choose one of two routes as below:
Route 1: Departing from the center of Hanoi - Nguyen Trai - Bala (Ha Dong) - Xuan Mai - National Highway 6 - Thung Khe Pass - Tong Dau Intersection - Mai Chau.
Route 2: Starting from the center of Hanoi - Tran Duy Hung - Thang Long Boulevard - Xuan Mai - National Highway 6 - Thung Khe Pass - Tong Dau Intersection - Mai Chau.
By bus:
From Hanoi, tourists can take a bus from My Dinh bus stations (with the ticket price of 100,000 - 200,000vnd) to Tong Dau junction then take a motorbike taxi to the town about 5km away.
Here are some bus companies to Mai Chau:
HOANG THAO
Departure time: My Dinh bus station 14h30 pm
Phone: 0914 688533 - 0218 386829
HA LOAN
Departure time: My Dinh bus station at 7h50 am and 14h30
Phone: 0912490679
Visitor can go any time of the year, and each season have own beauty
November - February: Wintertime, the air is chilly, there is a lot of peach blossom, plum blossom bloom in Mai Chau.
March - April: Cool and pleasant weather very convenient for trekking or cycling
May-August: The climate is quite cool, and there are many plums and peaches for you to pick.
Sunset at Mai Chau
Located on Road No. 6, at Hoa Binh province, Thung Khe Pass, it is about 1,000 meters above sea level. Here visitors can enjoy the rustic food displayed on the roadside, such as boiled corn, boiled sugarcane, sesame green rice, etc. Moreover, from the top of Thung Khe, you can zoom in to see the entire valley. It is known as one of the most beautiful places to admire Hoa Binh province.
Lac village is over 700 years old. It the occupied mainly by the Back Thai people. Visitors can easily find homestay and stay with local people or try to make embroidery with local people. Unlike many other tourist destinations, visitors will not see any impolite sellers who try to ask the customers to buy their products when walking around the village. A variety of items such as scarfs flare skirts, bamboo flutes….
Lac village
Pom Coong has been known as a cultural village, tourist village, an attractive destination for tourists worldwide with nearly 70 households and more than 300 people. Traditionally, Pom Coong people still set up unique stilt houses to stay. Close-up houses are separated only by vegetable beds or thin banks, sitting on the porch, people can talk, have fun together.
Visitors coming to Pom Coong are mainly foreigners and students who are passionate about learning about ethnic minority cultures. They come here for a better understanding of the life and people of the Thai people. They immerse themselves in the life of the Thai people and enjoy the dancing, gong festivals, sleeping on the stilt - drinking wine and walking to see the mountains, the people here ...
Only about 1km from the center of Mai Chau town, Van village is located under Pu Van Mountain. Ethnic people here mainly live on wet rice cultivation and making traditional products: weaving, knitting ...
Not too far from the bustling town, but the Van still has a lot of wild and rustic features, from the scenery to the simple lifestyle of Thai people. If you come to Van village on New Year Eve, you can participate in traditional games with local people.
It is located in Pu Kha mountain range, about 2 km from Lac village. Mo Luong Cave is an ideal tourist destination for those who love exploring and finding strange feelings when coming to Mai Chau.
Local people also call "Bo Luong" means a "Huge water field." Here consists of 4 main caves, famous with stalactite system, which creates many unique and beautiful shapes.
Here is also the meeting place for Viet Cong during the war with the French colonial.
Chieu Cave is located on the top of the Pu Kha mountain range. To reach the cave, visitors need to climb 1200 stone steps. The cave has a length of over 150 meters, divided into 2 floors. When visitors go inside can see a lot of stalactites with various shapes.
>>> Read more: Best things to do in Mai Chau
It's the most famous food in Mai Chau, simple but delicious. It's making from rice, bamboo, and banana leaves. There may also be grated coconut, coconut milk, sesame mixed with rice before baking.
Chickens are raised on hills, in the forests, and raised naturally. Who has eaten authentic Mai Chau cannot forget its special delicious taste. Incredibly delicious meat, also very good with sticky rice.
It is sound wears. But this is a unique rustic dish that is popular among the Muong people in Mai Chau. (Usually in the late summer) Both jungle bees and bamboo come from nature. This combination creates a perfect flavor.
Muong pork
After the grilled, people choose the most delicious pieces of meat and then marinate many different spices: salt, chili powder, anise, neighbor, lemongrass, molasses leaves, ginger, turmeric, vinegar...
This is one of the featured dishes of the mountainous area, an indispensable dish in the meals of ethnic minorities to welcome guests.
All the people from Hoa Binh know about Mai Ha wine. People also call Mai Ha wine a specialty.
The secret to making delicious Mai Ha wine must have at least 9 types of forest leaves (people here often call it "aromatic leaves"), including guava, grapefruit, bell, persimmon, cock… Mix the crushed leaf mixture with 2 types of ginger. Mix well and follow the given ratio. Incubate about 3 days to become yeast.
Tourist services are developing in Mai Chau, and there is a lot of accommodation from high quality (resorts) to lower quality like guest houses or homestay. Price from 100.000vnd - 4USD (dormitory) 600.000vnd 26USD (private room) or 2000.000vnd – 80USD (Resort) such as Mai Châu Ecolodge, Sol Bungalows, Mai Châu Lodge.
We would like to recommend that you stay and explore the daily life of local people at their homestay. There are many homestays at Lac Village and Pom Coong village.
>>> Click here to get Free itinerary planning for Mai Chau tours
You can visit in 1 day, 2 days 1 night or 3 days 2 nights. Here is our suggestion for 2 days tour
Day 1: Hanoi – Mai Chau Valley (L, D)
7.30-8.00: Our tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in the old Hanoi quarter and head to Mai Chau. We will stop on the way to visit the Muong tribe and Thung Khe Pass for a stunning view of Mai Chau Valley.
12.00: Arrive at Mai Chau, have traditional lunch in the local village (vegetarian available).
14.00 - 16.00: Ride a bicycle with our guide to see farmers working in fields, locals weaving scarves, and visiting surrounding peaceful villages. Visit Thai people in Pom Coong and Na Phon village.
16:30 - 18:00: Free time for walking and explore the daily life of local people
18.00: Enjoy the outdoor BBQ party, watch the Thai traditional dance, and drink the traditional wine "ruou can."
After dinner, we will enjoy the traditional performance (dance and music) with local people in the village. Stay overnight in homestay.
Day 2: Mai Chau – Hanoi (B, L)
Get up early morning to enjoy a view and have breakfast.
8.00: Trekking to visit typical traditional Vietnamese villages, to learn about their culture and custom.
12.00: Come back to mountain village to have lunch and check out.
13.00 - 15.00: Free time for shopping and relaxing before come back to Hanoi
15.00 - 15.30: Getting on the car back to Hanoi.
18.30 - 19.00: Arrive in Hanoi. Drop you off at your hotel in the old quarter – Goodbye and hopefully will see you again.
If you want to get out city center, discover the beautiful landscape, and understand more ethnic people, Mai Chau certainly is a great choice.
>>> Read more Mai Chau tours with best prices, services, and itinerary
Go Viet Trip hope that this article will help you understand more about Mai Chau if you need more help. Please feel free to contact us: Email: Goviettrip@gmail.com or hotline +84968667589. We are guarantee about quality and prices. Get a full refund if you do not feel happy with our services.
Author Hoan Nguyen
He has over 10 years of experience working in the tourism sector and operator. He has traveled to many places in Vietnam and around the world.
